SEO Scams that Still Exist Today

Several years ago when I first stepped into the internet marketing world, SEO started becoming a hot topic and while there were companies and individuals who offered their services, it was nowhere near the number I see now. These days, it seems anyone who picks up and reads a book on SEO immediately thinks they are an expert, which causes a lot of credibility issues and problems for the SEO industry. It’s like saying, “I just changed the oil and oil filter in my car, I’m an auto mechanic now!” Unfortunately, because the internet world is still a mystic unknown environment for the majority of the population, the list of terrible SEOs continue to expand and charge for poor services. Below are just a few of the popular scams and frauds that continue to exist today:

1. ” Front page of Google within 48 hours!” – For business owners unfamiliar with how placements work in Google, the allure of grabbing that front page spot in Google within a short period of time seems appealing, especially when an “expert” is helping them out. The problem with this phrase is that it is vague and doesn’t let the client know that anyone can get to the front page of Google using their pay-per-click Adwords system and bid high enough.

1. “We work directly with Google.” Again, another vague term and should set off some warning bells. Anyone can grab a pay-per-click Adwords account and say they are working with Google since it would technically be true (they pay Google money to display ads). But the phrase is most commonly used by scammers to describe a special bond with them and Google and how they have access to all the secrets. Now wait a minute…Google spends millions and millions of dollars on their search engine…why would they want to risk giving that secret away?

1. “Guaranteed Google front page rankings for # keywords!” – Let’s get one thing straight, nobody can guarantee rankings and guaranteed rankings does not mean anything if you’re not getting any targeted traffic for those ranked keywords. To satisfy their claim, these shady SEO so-called-experts will rank you for your own business name, which is generally easy and usually ranked for in Google, or they rank you for obscure keywords that no one will ever search for. For example, if you owned a flower shop in Austin, TX, they would try to rank you for long terms like “exquisite flower shop in downtown Austin Texas” or “Austin TX Jane Doe’s floral arrangements”.

In general, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If you come across situations like these in your inbox and don’t know what to believe, contact Motoza support and we’ll help you uncover the truth!